Xu Qing and Zhao Zhonghe have never gotten along; the moment they spotted each other, sparks flew like fire landing in a pile of cotton, ready to ignite.
Over there, Huang Sanye was eager for a spectacle and blocked the broker's assistant who wanted to intervene, hoping the two would start fighting soon. If they got hurt, they could walk east a few steps to the medical shop opened by their broker.
Such a great opportunity to watch for free while bringing profit to the broker—he wished it could happen several times a day.
Inside the broker's shop, Li Siye heard the commotion and peeked out to see the two quarrel vehemently, quickly stepping out to mediate.
"Chief Zhao, Younger Brother Xu, we are all here to make a living. What can't be discussed openly? Please, don't harm our peace."
"Younger Brother Xu, quickly apologize to Chief Zhao!" Li Siye gestured, implying that an apology would smooth things over.
Unable to withstand Li Siye's persuasion, Xu Qing reluctantly clasped his hands, heavily nasal, "It's my fault. Though Chief Zhao has tarnished good people, I shouldn't have spoken nonsense. From now on, I'll give an eighty percent discount when Chief Zhao comes to my shop..."
Li Siye initially felt grateful but nearly fainted upon hearing the last sentence.
This Shopkeeper Xu, why can't he keep his mouth shut? Who cares about the discount at your shop?
Chief Zhao's face visibly flushed red.
"You brat! Don't let me catch you later, or if you ever get into trouble and end up at the Patrol Office, I'll give you a fifty percent discount!"
With that, Zhao Zhonghe turned to glare at Huang Sanye, snarling, "Huang San, your matter isn't over! I'm in a bad mood today, you'd better not mess with me later!"
Huang Sanye froze, thinking, you argue your argument, how does this concern me?
...
Let's not dwell on Zhao Zhonghe's matter with Huang Sanye.
There, Xu Qing explained his intentions to Li Siye, and then followed a broker's steward to select a residence for processing bodies.
"What type of house does Shopkeeper Xu want to buy?" the steward asked en route.
"Preferably shaded and secluded. I enjoy peace. Also, the yard shouldn't be too small, and the soil shouldn't be too hard."
Hearing this, the experienced property steward was visibly puzzled.
Usually, people prefer houses with hard ground, why is it that you prefer the soft one?
Xu Qing explained that he liked to tend to vegetable gardens, planting flowers and plants. If the yard's ground was too hard, it would be difficult to use a hoe.
The steward seemed to understand.
Thus, they wandered around for half a day, viewing many houses, yet none suited Xu Qing.
To him, those houses were either too sunny or too close to the bustling market. Finally, he found a suitable one, but the yard had a natural stone bottom instead of earthen ground.
Using a hoe would spark against such stones.
Imagine the effort needed to bury bodies!
After exhausting options, Xu Qing contemplated buying the stone-bottom yard and making do.
Prepared to speak, he suddenly noticed the steward took him to a very familiar residence.
Wasn't this the place where Liao An hid the silver back then? Through Liao An's lantern, he had dug out three hundred silver coins from the bottom of a rice barrel.
Why did the steward bring him here?
Xu Qing pondered for a moment and understood.
Liao An was originally a broker. This vacant house must have belonged to the broker.
Following the steward into the yard, Xu Qing looked around, and Qi Observation Skill revealed the floating colors of Gale Qi, presenting the feng shui of the entire courtyard without reservation.
Black, white, gray, even blood-red... but none of the prosperous Qi typical of Yang Residence.
Impressed, Xu Qing muttered.
Indeed, he hadn't noticed how good the feng shui was when he collected the three hundred silver coins.
It's clearly a place where many people have died!
The gray Gale Qi overflowing from the well suggested there might be remains inside.
Further inspection of the beams in the hall revealed black smoke emanating from invisible rope marks, indicating someone had hung themselves there.
Xu Qing curiously asked, "Whose house was this? The feng shui seems powerful; did many people die here?"
Embarrassed, the steward coughed lightly, "Shopkeeper Xu knows feng shui?"
Xu Qing glanced at him, "I deal with the dead, from funerals to burials, and my most common task is geomancy and Feng Shui. Do you think I know it?"
Realizing Xu Qing's capabilities, the steward quickly apologized.
"Apologies, Shopkeeper Xu. This house is indeed half a Haunted House. I hadn't planned to come here but having exhausted other options... there's nowhere else."
"This was my fault; I'll take you back!"
The steward assessed the situation, seeing the knowledgeable expert. He promptly started apologizing.
Ordinary folks might have cursed and left by now.
But Xu Qing wasn't ordinary; he wasn't even alive!
"Hold on, why hurry back? I never believed in superstition. Tell me, what happened to this house to make it haunted?"
Watching Xu Qing gaze at the beams and even measure his neck as if preparing to hang himself, the steward felt uneasy.
"Lord Xu, you must be joking. This house does have a story..."
The steward started his tale, retreating two steps until he stood at the doorway, where the sunlight warmed him.
The tale of the house wasn't long; every owner's story was short.
It started ten years ago when it was a dilapidated old house. Huang Sanye from the broker noticed its decent location and bought it cheap, hiring craftsmen to renovate.
Known as Huang Bapi, he was a notorious broker.
After the house was built, the head mason sought payment.
Instead of paying, Huang Bapi criticized the quality, pointing out flaws.
He cut the deserved payment in half!
From then, the house turned eerie.
Tenants or owners either hung themselves, drowned in the well, or fell ill, becoming half-dead.
People speculated the mason used dark arts, causing bad feng shui in the house.
Angry, Huang Bapi searched all over Linhe but couldn't find the mason.
Forced to accept the situation, he began hiring feng shui monks, Daoists, witches with talisman water to cure the house.
Despite treatments, the house's problems persisted, and three monks and Daoists fell ill, requiring medical attention funded by Huang Bapi.
How unfortunate!
Finally, someone suggested tearing down and rebuilding the house to break any curse.
Unwilling to pay twice for construction, Huang Bapi declined.
Thus, the house became a frequent deceptive transaction for brokers.
It was sticky; once sold, it quickly returned to the broker's hands, often without the buyer even getting a chance to resell.
Xu Qing, upon hearing the tale, concluded Huang Bapi was wicked—no wonder he had set up a stall to collect money during Yang Chunfu's coffin laying.
Always early for profit, greedy and stingy.
The steward noticed Xu Qing's silence, cautiously suggesting leaving.
If really unsuitable, we can return now, and another time...
Before he finished, Xu Qing declared:
"I'm interested in this house. I'll take it!"